Fergie's gamble fails as Brown falls short again

Fulham 1 Manchester United 1

Having encountered a storm in Oporto during the week, Manchester United found no port in the storm that continues to wash away their hopes of retaining the Premiership title. Unexpectedly leaving Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs on the sidelines for 70 minutes as two of five changes from Wednesday's defeat in Portugal, they went ahead with Louis Saha's almost inevitable early goal against his former club but conceded a costly equaliser to Luis Boa Morte.

Recent defensive woes were not assuaged by the deployment of Roy Keane in a back four missing the suspended Gary Neville as well as Mikaël Silvestre and Rio Ferdinand. Worse, Chelsea's lucky victory at Manchester City relegated United to third place. So from standing three points in front of Arsenal early in January, they are now nine behind, having dropped seven in the last three matches alone.

If Sir Alex Ferguson is to continue resting players, he needs to do so ahead of games in the Champions' League - though there might, of course, be only one more of those - rather than the Premiership. It was reasonable to ask why neither Van Nistelrooy nor Giggs had appeared earlier - 70 minutes earlier, in fact - but Ferguson was keener to stress his annoyance about the referee's debatable decision not to award United a penalty soon after the equaliser.

"It's time the match officials earned their money," he said. "If they're not doing their job, they shouldn't be there." The day would certainly have had a different complexion if Alan Wiley had agreed that Fulham's goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar fouled Saha, who was clean through at the time. But defeat would have been hard on the home side, who have been sliding down the table after winning only one of six Premiership matches since the French striker's acrimonious departure.

Even Steve Kean, Fulham's assistant manager, admitted the visitors' claims were valid. "We'd have been screaming for a penalty," he said. Van Nistelrooy, who was warming up by the touchline at the time, ran on to the pitch to do just that and received a yellow card several minutes before actually joining in the game.

Kean had concocted Fulham's strategy for the match at the hospital where their manager Chris Coleman has been recovering from a serious virus - he hopes to be released in the next 48 hours. It had to be revised when United's team-sheet arrived in the home dressing room at two o'clock, causing as much surprise as in the press-room and the stands. Even then, Fulham were expecting to find Keane in midfield as usual, with Phil Neville at the back.

Reversing their roles worked reasonably well for half an hour, Ferguson claiming that "we had good control of the match" until the home side began a spirited recovery. But it seemed perverse to gamble as he had done in the meeting at Old Trafford in October, leaving out Paul Scholes and Keane, and suffering a 3-1 defeat. There was some uncertainty too from Roy Carroll on a rare appearance between the posts; regular first-choice Tim Howard was suffering from a slight stomach strain.

But remarkably, United might have got off to even more of a flyer than Arsenal. Within 10 seconds, Scholes and Van Nistelrooy's replacement Diego Forlan combined to put Saha of all people through for what should have been the fastest goal since the Premiership began. He dragged the shot wide.

Twice in the next few minutes Cristiano Ronaldo, in one of his bewitching moods, shot straighter, too much so in allowing Van der Sar to save. The first time United's defence was tested, John O'Shea was fortunate to escape a booking for holding Brian McBride back, but a minute later his team were ahead. Carroll threw out to Ronaldo, whose sharp pass down the centre caught Fulham dozing. Alain Goma could not get back to tackle and Saha finished with a thump - to the greater displeasure of those who chanted "Judas" at him throughout.

Goma's laxity allowed United their few opportunities in the remainder of the first half, Darren Fletcher shooting wide and Ian Pearce's foot denying Forlan. Fulham also had their moments without quite taking advantage of the unfamiliar defensive configuration. McBride, given more support than usual by having Boa Morte alongside him, hit the side-netting and put a header wide, Keane deflected Sylvain Legwinski's headed effort on to the top of the bar and Steed Malbranque, playing a tight one-two with Legwinski, shot too high.

It was lively stuff to set before a watching delegation of Fifa representatives. Ronaldo clearly enjoyed being on the left, from where he could jink inside on his right foot, often skipping past an opponent or two on the way. He did so in the first minute after the interval, sending a cross-shot just beyond the far post, and then placed a cross on the head of Forlan, who nodded it too close to Van der Sar.

The excitement continued with an equaliser and the penalty controversy in quick succession. In the 64th minute, McBride cut inside and sent Boa Morte bursting past Wes Brown's ineffectual challenge to hit a fierce drive almost through Carroll's legs. United might have been back in front within three minutes. Forlan's pass released Saha in an identical position to his goal; this time he went down under what appeared to be contact by the goalkeeper and was denied a penalty.

Van Nistelrooy, having made his feelings known as a pitch invader, was soon given the opportunity to make a more legitimate entrance, along with Giggs. There was time to fashion only one chance between them, the Dutchman failing to connect with Giggs' pass six yards out.

Now Ferguson faces another balancing act when the teams meet again at Old Trafford in the FA Cup next Saturday, three days ahead of the second leg against Porto. Few United supporters will feel he had it right here.

Fulham 1 Manchester United 1
Boa Morte 64; Saha 14

Half-time: 0-1 Attendance: 18,306